Arctic Sea Ice Heading for One of Lowest Extents on Record

When I heard the news from the National Snow and Ice Data Center that Arctic sea ice will likely reach its third or fourth lowest minimum extent on record in coming weeks, I started looking for a compelling image to illustrate what’s happening — one a bit more interesting than a map or graph.

The photograph above is what I’ve come up with. These two crew members from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy are taking a break from their work on NASA’s ICESCAPE mission in 2011. They’re dangling t